


The Road To Hell

by BeeCat, Oceantoast



Series: It All Falls Down [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackmail, Class 78 being a family, Death Threats, Implied Relationships, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Depression, Sort Of, Spoilers, Swearing, Verbal Abuse, for all titles tagged, no ship is really focused on, please ask to tag if you find something triggering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26574358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeCat/pseuds/BeeCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceantoast/pseuds/Oceantoast
Summary: Junko Enoshima knew what Hopes Peak Academy was hiding, and she was planning on using it as a stepstone to despair. However, her plan changed when the school moved quicker than expected, and now she has to alter her plan. But it was no problem for her, no. Junko Enoshima wasn't the Ultimate Analyst for nothing, and if she has to use her own class for her agenda, then so be it.Class 78 was far easier to manipulate than Class 77, and she could always use more people on the side of despair.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi & Sakakura Juzo, Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Enoshima Junko & Ikusaba Mukuro, Fujisaki Chihiro & Ishimaru Kiyotaka & Owada Mondo, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Jin/Kizakura Kohichi, Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Ogami Sakura & Togami Byakuya, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: It All Falls Down [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932898
Comments: 28
Kudos: 52





	1. Is Paved with Good Intentions (Prologue)

The tall building loomed over everything else, feeling like it was at the center of the world.

Hope's Peak Academy.

A pigtailed strawberry blonde stood at the gate, smiling with cheer. “Isn’t this great, MuMu? Finally, Hope’s Peak stands before me. I can’t wait to get inside.”

A freckled girl with raven hair stood not too far from the blonde. She looked up towards the school. “It's a lot bigger than I expected.” She stated.

A scoff escaped the other's lips. “What did you expect, a shed? You're such a dumbass,” the pigtailed girl turned towards her, the smile was long gone and her bright blue eyes unblinking. “Luckily, I don't need your smarts. I just need that so-called Ultimate Soldier status on my side.”

The soldier swallowed. “O-of course, Junko.”

Junko’s smile came back on to her face in a split second. “Don’t be such a Debbie Downer! Or do, I don’t care either way!” she laughed, and patted Mukuro's back with more force than necessary. “Now come on! I didn't bust my ass to get here just to stand at the gate. We need to greet our fellow ultimates.”

Mukuro watched as the fashionista confidently strutted into the school. With a small sigh, the freckled girl followed her in, with one thought dancing in her head.

Is this the right thing to do?


	2. An Extended Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk and discovery, and a plan that sets everything into motion.

“You want me to _ what? _ ”

“I want you to be a sub homeroom teacher to Class 78.” 

Koichi blinked--the light in Jin’s office was so bright--and raised his eyebrow. “Really? You want me to teach again?"

The addressed headmaster nodded his head. “We are comparatively low on staff. And the previous homeroom teacher, ah well, quit just yesterday.” Jin said. 

With a sigh, Koichi plopped himself down on the leather couch adjacent to Jin’s desk. “I guess I can, but they won't show up. They never do.” 

”Perhaps they just mimic their teacher.” Jin glared as Koichi chuckled lightly and kicked his feet onto the coffee table. 

“Perhaps.” The talent scout said, grabbing the small canteen on his hip.

The Hopes Peak headmaster let out a gentle sigh, looking towards the picture on his desk. “Your one of the few people I trust, Kizakura. Please.”

Koichi almost choked on his drink. Hastily setting the container down and coughing into the nook of his elbow, he straightened his back and turned towards Jin. “Who's in the class?” he asked. 

Jin didn't seem to hear him at first. Koichi was about to repeat his question, but Jin turned away from the picture and ruffled through his cabinet. “There are 16 students, and everyone has quite an amazing talent.” He grabbed a manila folder; dropping it on the desk, he opened it up. “To name a few, there is Leon Kuwata, the ultimate baseball star, Sayaka Maizono, the ultimate pop sensation and-” there was a brief pause.”Kyoko Kirigiri, ultimate detective.” 

“Kyoko?” Koichi stated in disbelief. 

Disregarding his surprise, Jin continued. “The class starts in about an hour.” Standing up, he walked over to Koichi and dropped the file down on his lap. “I suggest reading through the student files, there's most likely a few who expect you to know their names already." 

Koichi pretended to be exasperated. "You really expect me to memorize sixteen names and faces in an hour?"

"Indeed, I do. Now, I need to leave. You can stay in the office if you wish but please actually show up to teach." Jin requested walking away from the scout.

He hummed in acknowledgment. “Always the busy man, hm?" 

Jin didn't respond to him at first as he walked towards the door. Before exiting the room, he softly stated, "Almost to a fault."

* * *

  
An hour passed, and Koichi dreaded every second of it. He didn't like teaching homeroom, it was always more work than good. Being a scout, Koichi knows how these ultimate students act. He knows full well that most give him a headache. 

But a promise is a promise, and he needed to see if a certain student was actually here

Swinging open room 2-B's door, Koichi gave a casual smile and greeted the students with a hello.

Looking back at him was five pairs of eyes.

A boy with black short hair blinked away his shock and stood up. "Sensei!" he gave a quick respectful bow, "it's 5 minutes past the class's start time! I must ask, why are you so late?!"

The boy with glasses scoffed. "That hardly matters. The most important part is why he's here." The girl behind him nodded fervently. 

“Y-yes! That’s t-truly is the most important!" 

The three started to argue over their points, with the girl always agreeing with what glasses said and the red-eyed boy yelling that “being on time is always of great importance!”

Koichi gave a sigh, and he looked over the rest of the class. He gave a pause when he noticed who was sitting in the far right back row. 

Kyoko Kirigiri. A million thoughts flooded his mind,  _ what are you doing here? Why are you here? How- _

The detective simply narrowed her eyes, and she turned away from him.

The boy with the ahoge cleared his throat, “um guys, wouldn’t it make sense why he’s here? A substitute is for, you know teaching.”

"I agree whole-heartily Naegi-kun! so it comes back to why you were late!" The strict boy looked back towards Koichi, and the other two debaters looked offended that the argument was suddenly over.

Koichi blinked. But his smile quickly came back to his face. "Ah, you must be Kiyotaka Ishimaru, ultimate moral compass. Only a talent like that would care so much of being late." 

Ishimaru seemed to light up at his teacher knowing his name. Nodding his head, Ishimaru stated, "That is indeed me! But please, call me Taka!" 

Moving towards the podium in the front, Koichi looked over the class. "There's supposed to be 16 of you."

"Most of them use their time more wisely than sitting here doing nothing." The glasses-wearing boy sighed and leaned back into his seat, "one of their more intelligent choices."

Byakuya Togami, the ultimate affluent prodigy. Koichi wasn't surprised to see a Togami ended up in Hopes Peak, but seeing his file Koichi knew the kid would more than likely have an attitude. Putting his elbows on the podium, he rested his head in his hands.

"What a bummer. I'm sure they would have a blast here."

Togami glared at the older man, and Koichi could only guess that he did so because his teacher didn’t agree with him.

There was a moment of quiet, until the girl behind Togami said, "So are we... j-just going to sit here, s-staring at each other?"

Koichi shrugged. "Not much else to do with only 5 of you here."

The girl mimicked Togami’s glare. "Y-you're just a g-glorified babysitter t-than?"

Toko Fukawa, ultimate writer. Koichi had skimmed her works before she was admitted, and he remembered that they were mostly romance. "If you wanna see it that way, sure."

Fukawa blushed and her glare hardened, "I-I’m just a child then?"

"Yes. You are just a child." Togami sighed in annoyance. "If we're done getting that across, there's no need for me to be here then."

He got up from his, but Taka quickly stood in front of him to not let him move further. "Leave?! In front of a sensei?! Do rules mean nothing to you?!"

"He stated himself that there's nothing to do. Why should we stay?" Kyoko finally spoke. She hasn't stopped looking at Koichi the moment he stepped into class.

"But no classes should be skipped!" Taka looked towards his teacher. "There must be something we can do?"

Koichi honestly didn't have a plan. He knew no one would be here, so why make one? But the look in Taka’s eyes was determined: if he didn't give him a task, he'd just keep bugging him. 

Sighing, Koichi stood up from the podium. "Y'know what? Why don't you look for the other students? Maybe if you round them all up we can start class properly."

Taka smiled at him. "What a great idea! A task that will let us bond closer!"

Koichi raised his eyebrow at the comment.

A condescending laugh grabbed everyone's attention. "And why should we go with you?" Togami asked.

"Because Kizakura-sensei gave us a task, and we must fulfill it!"

"I think he meant to just send you..." The boy in front said. Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. He was admitted through a raffle, just like the student from Class 77. Koichi distantly wondered if he would be as interesting as him.

Taka faltered for a moment, but the brief sadness left as he yelled, "Nonsense! We must all do something to start class! This is riding on all of us, and a task from sensei must always be respected!"

Everyone was quiet for a second. 

Togami pushed his glasses up and asked, "If I do this...activity with you, will you leave me alone?" 

Taka nodded, "If that is what it takes, then of course!" 

"Great. Then let's get going." Togami headed towards the door. 

Fukawa squawked a "w-wait for me, m-master!" and followed hot on his heels.

Koichi couldn't help but grimace at the action. He wondered if Fukawa realized what a troublesome relationship she had, and he wondered if maybe he should do something. The train of thought quickly faded as he grabbed the canteen on his hip. "What are you three waiting for? Shouldn't you be going like Togami stated?" 

"Well... maybe you can come with us?" Naegi asked with hesitance.

"Is there a need for me to go?" Kyoko glared at him as he took a drink from his flask.

"Yes! You are our homeroom teacher, and I doubt most of our peers will believe us if we give them no proof of your request." 

The teacher sighed for what felt like the 100th time today. Taka had a point, and while he was hoping to get a nap in he soon realized that it wouldn't be the case for today. "Alright alright… If you insist on me doing it, I don't have much of a choice." 

Kirigiri looked surprised, and Taka smiled. "Well then let's finally get going!"

Following the trio out the door, Koichi faintly remembered his class last year, and what Chisa Yukizome had to do to wrangle them all into the same room. He hoped to whatever higher being out there that this class wouldn't be as destructive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me? taking insperation from the despair arc? never.


	3. A search for hope

Kiyotaka was starting to feel antsy. No one knew where any other classmates were, so he suggested checking every room on each floor, starting with floor two since that's where their classroom was located. He could tell it wasn’t an extremely popular idea, but the others followed along for now.

They checked the other two classrooms, the bathrooms, and the library. It was after leaving the library that Togami spoke up. 

“This is taking too long,” the heir complained, “it would be swifter if we could all separate.” 

Ishimaru shook his head. “What if one of us ends up lost? I have to make sure we’re all together! And this is a class bonding event, correct?” 

“This was a task for _ you _ , and then you decided to drag us all along,” Togami said, crossing his arms. “I’m only here so that you can leave me alone later on. Don’t assume I’m here for your so-called class bonding event.” 

Kiyotaka paused. Did they really not want to be here? He looked over everyone else. “I… Assumed it would also be easier to do it as one group!” 

“E-easier for who?” Fukawa muttered. “The o-only one who wants t-to actually have c-class is y-you.” 

“I-” Kiyotaka didn’t want to say it. He didn't want to admit that he couldn't do it by his self, and he didn't want to admit that he didn't have complete faith in his peers.  __ “We can’t let others ignore their classes, it’ll lead to disaster!”

“Why should I care?” Togami said. “If a bunch of so-called ultimates can’t stay in school, do they really belong here?”

“Everyone deserves a chance!”

He scoffed. “That’s how we get talents such as yourself ending up where their not meant to be.”

Taka blinked. “W-what?”

Togami smirked. “‘The Ultimate Moral Compass’, what kind of talent is that really? Why should you get to state what's right and wrong? You don’t belong here, Ishimaru.”

Everyone went silent for a moment. Kizakura glared at Togami, and even Kirigiri looked slightly irked. Naegi shifted uncomfortably, and hesitantly let out “Togami-”

“T-that’s not true!” Taka cut Naegi off before he could say anything. “I earned my place here, just like everyone else!” He tried to hold back the tears he could feel building. 

“Anyone can possess your talent with as vague as it is.” Togami looked down at him. 

“You don’t k-know what I had to do to get in here,” Kiyotaka stated, ignoring the tears streaming down his face.

“And again I ask, why should I care?”

Taka closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You-”

“Watch out!” Suddenly he was pulled towards the left and heard a resounding  _ smash _ right behind him. An object whizzed by, nearly hitting Togami.

It was still for just a moment. Togami gapped like a fish, but Kiyotaka assumed he didn’t look much different. 

“That was close, kid.” Kiyotaka turned towards Kizakura who gave him a small smile. “You okay?” 

He blinked. And soon the tears started again. “Thank you!” He bowed deeply. “Thank you Kizakura-Sensei!” 

The teacher raised his hands in front of him. “Woah, no need to do that!”

Kiyotaka disregarded him and stayed bowed. “No, you just saved me from injury! I need to thank you!” 

“It isn’t that big of a deal! It’s my duty to make sure you’re okay!” 

“And you deserve to be thanked for the fact!”

Kizakura let out a sigh. “Alright alright, I’ve been thanked. You can stop bowing.”

Standing straight, Kiyotaka rubbed his eyes. “What happened?”

“Well, something crashed through the window.”

“It was a baseball,” Kirigiri stated, holding the said object in her hand. “And the people responsible for breaking the window are just outside.”

Marching towards the window, Kiyotaka looked down towards the yard. There stood two people, one with bright orange hair and a goatee holding a baseball bat. The other was a tall man with unkempt brown hair and a baseball glove by his feet, both were equally as nervous. 

“Sorry about that Taka!” Kuwata yelled up. “Hiro threw the ball weird, and I had no choice but to hit it through the window!”

“H-hey! Don’t blame it all on me!” 

“I-idiots…” Fukawa stated. Kizakura gave a snort, and Kiyotaka glared.

“Uh… we won’t do it again?” Kuwata stated hesitantly. Hiro nodded fervently. 

“Please stay right there! We all will be down in a few moments, and we can continue our search!” Kiyotaka yelled down. Kuwata gave a sigh of relief, but Kiyotaka quickly added, “and we will be discussing this!” 

Both gave a groan but confirmed that they would stay there, nonetheless. Kiyotaka couldn’t help but feel a little bad, but he had to make sure that rules were upheld!

Still, he started to mull over Togami’s words as the group walked down the stairs. The said heir was keeping his distance, and Kiyotaka can’t quite read his expression. He bit his lip.

_ I deserve to be here… _

_ Right? _

* * *

The group continued their search outside and decided to go on a specific path. However, there wasn't much searching because-

“We get it, Taka, please we won't do it again!”

“The school will fix it for heaven's sake, why are you still babbling on about this?”

“That is NOT the point Togami!”

“D-don't raise your voice at him!”

Makato sighed as he watched the group continue going at each other’s throats. “Hey-”

“Now is not the time!” Togami quickly shut him down with a glare. And, once again, Taka started reprimanding the heir for being impolite. 

Makoto sighed, he didn't know quite what he was expecting there.

The arguing group was garnering attention from other students, and the feeling of being watched felt weird to Makoto. He knew that most of the people staring belonged to the Reserve Course, and he couldn’t help but notice most of them looked uncomfortable and some even looked at them with disdain.

_ “Remember last time a student like us were friends with an ultimate?” _

_ “Shh, keep your voice down!” _

The Ultimate Lucky student couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine at their words.

Coming onto a fountain, the group stopped. But, to Makoto's dismay, the arguing continued and was gaining momentum with the addition of Kizakura. Sighing, he looked around to see if anyone could help find a classmate. Besides Reserve Course students, there wasn't much. 

Figuring they might know something, and hoping that they might tell him what they were whispering about, Makoto split from the arguing group and started towards the closest uniform wearing student. “Um excuse me, have you seen anyone in Class 78 around?” 

The student looked surprised, but they shook their head and muttered a “sorry” before quickly shuffling away. 

Makoto frowned. As he started walking towards a different Reserve student, they quickly scurried away, not giving him a chance to even talk. That stopped him in his tracks, and confusion flooded his mind.

_ What’s going on?  _ Makoto thought.  _ First the whispering, and now they're avoiding us... _ Turning around, he yelped at the sudden appearance of a short pink-haired girl standing only a few inches away from him.

Stepping back, Makoto hesitantly said, “um, hi?”

The girl at first merely blinked at him. She was gripping a handheld console in her hands, and she seemed distant as she started at Makoto. She gave him a sudden smile, but still, Makoto couldn’t help but notice that her eyes still carried a hint of sadness.

“Sorry for scaring you, I just thought you looked familiar.” She hesitated on the last word, and Makoto rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Oh uh. I'm in Class 78? My name is Makoto Naegi, maybe you saw my picture?” He stated, mentally chastising himself for sounding awkward in front of an Ultimate.

She looked away from him. “Maybe.” 

“Are you-”

He was cut off with a loud and sudden shout and two consecutive splashes. Looking towards the sound, Makoto saw Taka gaping at the side of the fountain and two figures standing inside the water itself.

Kuwata was holding his hands up as if in surrender and the other figure looked almost ready to drown him. “Wait wait wait, Oowada, buddy, let's think about this?!”

_ Of course,  _ Makoto thought,  _ of course, we would find another classmate like this. _

Oowada took a step closer. “I don't need to think about shit, bastard!”

“LANGUAGE!” 

Both of the boys decidedly ignored Taka’s plea. “Listen, I just thought that maybe you wanted a picture with you and the dog-”

“What makes you think that you dumbass?!” 

“Alright, that's enough!” Kizakura yelled over the top of the two, walking towards the fountain himself. “Both of you, out of the fountain. You're making it dirty.” 

Kuwata happily got out, quickly stepping behind the teacher. Oowada grumbled, “Who the fuck are you to give me orders?”

“Koichi Kizakura, assistant to the headmaster and your new homeroom teacher. Get out of the fountain, now.”

The biker seemed like he was ignoring him, but with a groan, he walked his way out. “Only because I look stupid in here.”

Seemingly pleased, Kizakura turned around to face the baseball star. “Kuwata, I want you to apologize.” 

“Wha- I’m not the one who-”

“ _ Apologize _ , before you say something else that will get you in trouble.”

Kuwata bit his lip, blushing ever so slightly. Sighing, he looked towards Oowada. “Sorry I thought you wanted a picture with a stupid dog, I guess.” 

“How convincing.” Oowada folded his arms, and Kizakura glared at him. Giving a frustrated yell Oowda added, “I forgive you or some shit! Now, will you guys leave me the fuck alone?”

“Well, you see…” 

The arguing quickly picked back up, and at this point, Makoto really should just expect it with this class. Sighing, he turned back to the girl who watched on with amusement. 

“I, uh, never learned your name,” Makoto said, and the girl turned to look at him. She gave him a soft smile.

“Chiaki Nanami. It's nice to meet you, Naegi.”

* * *

After almost half an hour of convincing him to join, Mondo decided to go along after realizing that they--specifically that Taka character--weren't going to leave him alone.

He shouldn't have stopped to pet that damn dog. He would’ve been well off-campus by now.

Mondo ignored the talking around him as the group walked towards the school. For being a search party, most of them seemed to be too wrapped into themselves to actually  _ look _ . But he was determined to find his classmates; if only so he could leave faster.

As they entered the school, Kirigiri spoke up. “We should check the dorms first. It's most likely that there should be at least one person there.” 

“I agree, students like to be in their rooms most of the time,” Kizakura nodded. Putting his finger under his chin, “although I doubt they’ll answer.”

Kirigiri folded her arms, and Mondo swears he saw her scowl a little. 

“It's better than wandering around doing nuthin’.” Kuwata piped up. 

“Then let's get going!” Taka exclaimed, and Mondo has to commend him for keeping his upbeat attitude. “It would be faster to divide and knock on everyone's door who isn't here!” 

Togami looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off by Hiro asking “Uh, that would be who exactly?” He asked and started looking around the group. “I’m not good with names.”

“I doubt you're skilled in anything,” Togami muttered. 

“At least he's not a shitty Monopoly Man.” Mondo crossed his arms and decidedly ignored Togami's glare. “We’re missing Ogami, Maizono, Asahina, Yamada, Fujisaki, Ludenberg, Enoshima, and Ikusaba.” 

“So we all should have one door!” Taka stated. Togami scoffed.

“Look at you, doing complex math and finally having common sense to split up.” His voice dripped with venom, and one look at Taka’s sad face made Mondo upset.

_ He looks like a kicked puppy. _

Turning towards the heir with a gaze that promised violence, Mondo shouted, “What the fuck is your problem?! You’ve bullied two people in a span of a minute, and been complaining the whole way here! Are you so unhappy that you gotta make everyone as miserable as you?!” 

Togami’s look darkened. “I am just stating facts. The only miserable being here is-”   
  


Taka quickly stepped between them before Togami could finish. “Listen to me! Now is not the time to fight, we have a task we must complete!” 

“Bitche Rich just called you stupid! He just called everyone stupid! Are you really just-” 

Taka gave him a watery smile, and the look gave Mondo a pause. “Please, Oowada. It’s not worth fighting over. We have a task to focus on!” 

Mondo hesitated. He could just tell that Taka was torn from Togami's words, but giving a huff he turned away. “Whatever.” 

“Togami.” Kizakura said. “We need to talk.”

The heir looked surprised, but quickly his face turned indifferent. “Fine.”

Everyone else dispersed, and Mondo ended up at the door with the nameplate of Chihiro Fujisaki. She was the Ultimate Programmer if Mondo remembers correctly.

He knocked on the door. No answer. With a huff, he went to knock again until the door suddenly swung open to reveal a tired-looking Fujisaki. Mondo blinked and awkwardly lowered his hand. "Uh. Hi."

"H-hello." Fujisaki fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Is there something I can help you with?" 

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to answer," Mondo said. 

"Oh... sorry."

"Wha-? You don't need to apologize for that!"

"S-sorry it's a force of habit," Fujisaki stated, but her eyes looked watery anyways.

Mondo rubbed the back of his head, "I didn't mean to make you cry, that was a shitty thing to do."

The petite girl vigorously shook her head and clasped her hands "N-no it isn't you! I just cry easily!" A few tears fell down her face, as if demonstrating her point. 

Still, Mondo couldn't help thinking:  _ way to go, dumbass. You barely know her and yet here you are. _ "We’re, uh, looking for missing classmates. Something about getting a new homeroom teacher and that stuck up hall monitor wanting to finish the class." Mondo made a face when he mentioned Taka, and the programmer rubbed her eyes. 

"We got a new teacher?" She asked, her voice still a little watery. "I wasn't expecting one so soon..."

"Yeah, don't know what to think of him, though." Mondo pocketed his hands. "He says he's assistant to the headmaster, but he radiates drunk dumbass more to me." 

Fujisaki laughed as she shut her door. Mondo gave a small smile, but when the programmer turned around she looked guilty. "I’m sorry for laughing, that's cruel of me."

Mondo rolled his eyes, "You need to learn that you don't need to apologize for everything, Fujisaki! I'm the one who said it, and it was damn hilarious!"

Again the girl smiled, but it quickly turned sad. "Still..."

"Oowada! I see you found Fujisaki-san!" Taka’s booming voice greeted them. He gave a wave to Fujisaki, and the programmer shyly waved back. "Just in time too! We found Yamada as well!" 

"Where is he?" Mondo asked, peeking around Takas' shoulder, but he saw no sign of the Ultimate Fanfic creator. 

Taka nervously laughed, "Well... there's a slight problem." 

"He refuses to leave his room." Mondo jumped at the sudden voice from his left, and he turned around to see Kirigiri.

"Where the fuck-"

"He says he needs to finish just one more thing, but we still have six more classmates to find!!" Taka quickly informed them. 

"And one more thing leads to another, and then another..." Fujisaki said. "I know that experience all too well." 

"So? Why don't we just leave him, get him later?" Mondo asked. 

"He also claims he knows where Celestia Ludenberg is, but nothing else," Kirigiri stated, "hence the need to convince him to leave his room." 

Mondo groaned, "Of fucking course."

They lead the two to Yamada’s room. Naegi was talking to the room's occupant, but the look on his face wasn’t promising.

"Yamada, surely you can finish your piece later?"

"I simply cannot, Mr. Naegi! I will not be in the right mood!" 

“But-”

“I need to finish this piece! So please, leave me be!”

Makoto gave a sigh. Mondo rolled his eyes, and walked over to the door, knocking loudly. “Oi! Get out of your room, we need you to tell us where Ludenburg is!” 

“Mr. Oowada? Did you not hear what I said to Mr. Naegi? I need to finish this piece, and I do not have time to follow you on this silly quest.”

“Well, that's too bad. You can open this door or I can knock it down for you.” Taka gave a gasp behind him, but Mondo decidedly ignored it.

“Haha… I didn’t know you could be such a jokester, M-mr. Oowada...”

“You have about 30 seconds.” 

There was a small “eep!” and some ruffling around inside the room. He heard Kuwata laugh behind him, and Mondo couldn’t help but give a small smile, but looking over to Taka it quickly turned into a frown. He clearly didn’t approve, and for some reason, that disapproval made Mondo almost feel bad.

Almost. It was quickly replaced with anger. “What are you looking at, hall monitor?” 

“Was that really necessary?” Taka asked with folded arms.

“Well, nuthin else was working.”

“Still-”

“U-um,” Fujisaki cut Taka off before he could finish. “C-can we please not argue? We got Yamada out, even if it wasn't in a pleasant way, and that's what matters right?” 

Taka scrunched his face. Fujisaki instantly became antsier. “I-I mean! Sorry, that wasn’t nice for me to step in-”

“You’re right, Fujisaki-San! Sorry for arguing, Oowada.” Taka gave a curt bow. At the same time, Yamada slammed the door open, making everyone jump. He was panting, and Mondo almost thought he’d fall down.

“Please… don't… bust my door down…” 

Naegi quickly started reassuring him that Oowada wouldn’t do such a thing, and soon Kizakura came by with Togami in tow. 

Mondo looked over to Taka again without really knowing why. He seemed happy enough, but it just felt like something was wrong. 

_ Whatever. It's not my problem.  _

* * *

Kyoko could feel a headache forming as the now much larger search party marched up to the third floor. 

_ I should have known a gambler would be in the recreation room.  _

She was thankful for Fujisaki for stepping in between Oowada and Ishimaru before another fight happened. Alas, the group was still loud as they walked, and whatever talk Togami and Kizakura had seemed to put Togami in an even sourer mood, but at the same time the heir seemed to keep to himself.

_ Kizakura _ . The stench of alcohol was a big factor in the ever brewing headache. 

The only saving factor is that the scout seemed fine hanging near the back of the group, stopping whatever argument he deemed too harsh. The addition of Yamada’s complaining and Oowadas grumpiness seemed to multiply the frequency of arguments, each one seemingly louder than the previous. 

As Kyoko led the group up the final few stairs leading to the second floor, she heard someone walk up next to her. Glancing towards the sound, she saw Naegi looking at her. “Hi, Kirigiri.”

“Hello. May I help you with something?” 

Naegi shook his head. “No, I just wanted to talk to you.” 

“... I’m not much to talk to.”

He paused for a moment, but then gave Kyoko a sudden smile. “I dunno why but it just feels right to at least try.” 

Kyoko looked away from him, keeping her face as impassive as she could. 

“Do you think the others will be as obvious as Ludenberg?” Naegi asked, seemingly ignoring the detective's lack of response. 

“If we’re lucky enough, I suppose.”

“That seems almost too easy.”

“You are the Ultimate Lucky student, correct?” Kyoko looked towards Naegi. He rubbed the back of his head.

“Sometimes I feel more unlucky than naught,”

“Your talent will come in handy, even if that time isn’t now,” Kyoko said sagely. Naegi blushed and looked away. 

“Maybe.” 

Kyoko gave a small smile and listened to Naegi talk about his time before Hope’s Peak, only ever responding with hums and nods. 

The headache wasn't as bad when the group reached the Recreation Room. Taka quickly told everyone to be respectful and marched towards the front, opening the door with more force than necessary, Kyoko notes. 

There weren't many people in the room, but it seemed Yamada was correct; Ludenberg sat at a small table, shuffling a deck of cards. 

Taka gave a small sigh of relief. “Ludenberg-san! I’m glad to see you applying your talent, but may I request you to come to class?”

Ludenberg gave him a polite smile and looked over the rest of the class. “Oh my, I wasn’t expecting so many to be here today.” She took a sip from her tea. “Unfortunately I simply can not fulfill your request at this time, Kiyotaka.”

Naegi gave a small laugh, and mumbled to himself, “I figured it wouldn’t be easy.” 

Kyoko frowned, “may I inquire why you can not come to class, Ludenberg?” She asked.

The gambler hummed as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “I have better things to do than listen to teachers lecture about trivial subjects.” She glanced over to Kizakura. “And who might you be?”

“Ah, just your substitute teacher, Koichi Kizakura,” He smiled, “I remember seeing you once. I was one of the scouts who watched a few games of yours. All ended in your favor, I might.” 

Ludenberg basked under his praise. “You have good taste than to give me a letter of recommendation here.”

Kizakura gave her a laugh. “Ah, well I’m not a talent scout for nothing.” He glanced over to Kyoko. “It's a shame that you're not doing anything with that recommendation.” 

The air shifted into something more hostile at his words. Kyoko glared at him, but the stupid smile on his face seemed to stay. Ludenberg’s look of shock quickly melted into impassive once more.

“ Pardonne-Moi , what do you possibly mean by that Kizakura-sensei?”

“Well, you just spend your time here playing against others who don't even have a chance at beating you.” He turned his nose up at the gambler. “You could do that easily outside of school. So why come here if you're just going to throw away resources so graciously given to you?” 

Taka moved in front of Kizakura, a look of anger gracing his face. “Teachers shouldn’t say such things to students!”

He shrugged. “Sometimes students need to hear the truth.” 

“Fine then.” Every eye turned back towards Ludenberg. “I’ll give you a deal, Koichi Kizakura,” she laid the deck of cards down, “a game of poker between you and me, and another student shall be a dealer. If you win, I shall come along with your… class.” 

“And if  _ you _ win?” Togami spoke up. Ludenberg smiled at him.

“None of you shall ever force me into coming to class again. I think that is a fair trade, hm?” 

“You got yourself a deal then Celestia Ludenberg.” Kizakura sat in front of her, his signature smile never leaving his face, “May I request Kyoko Kirigiri as our dealer?” 

Kyoko hid the surprise she felt as Ludenberg looked over at her. “All I request is that she knows how to at least deal.” 

“... I do,” Kyoko stated as she walked over to the table, once again glaring at Kizakura. She decidedly ignored Ludenbergs raise of an eyebrow. 

Handing over the deck, Kyoko started to shuffle the cards while Ludenberg dealt herself and Kizakura an equal amount of poker chips. Dealing both of them two cards, Ludenberg placed down two red chips, Kizakura doing the same.

Kyoko dealt three cards face up, a king of diamonds, a spade of three, and a heart of 10. 

Both of them showed no emotion beyond their seemingly everlasting smiles. Again, Ludenberg put two red chips down. Kizakura responds by placing down two red chips and a blue. “It certainly feels different playing against you than watching from afar.”

“How so?” Ludenberg copied the scout by placing the same chips down. Kizakura called, and Kyoko put down another card, a queen of hearts. 

“ I can tell your habits easier up close,” Kizakura stated, as Ludenberg added one green chip. Kizakura responded by placing down a black chip, making the gambler raise her eyebrows a smidge at the action. 

“You’re either ridiculously brave or straight-up idiot,” Ludenberg commented. She called, and Kyoko placed the last card down. An ace of hearts. 

Kizakura’s smile widened. “Perhaps an idiot,” he placed down another black chip, “but I wouldn’t say straight.” 

Kyoko huffed at the comment, while Ludenberg gave a small laugh. Placing down a black chip, she simply stated, “You’re certainly lucky we weren’t playing with actual money.”

Both revealed their hand at the same time, with Kizakura having an ace of hearts and a spade of 10. Ludenberg placed a king and jack of diamonds. Kizakura whistled, “a royal flush huh?” 

A few students clapped at the win, and Kyoko swears she could hear Taka ask Oowada what a royal flush meant. Standing up, Kizakura gave a slight bow. “Well, I guess we’ll leave you alone then.”

Ludenberg hummed, and after telling Yamada to collect the chips and put them back she looked up towards the teacher. “I said to never force me to go to class  _ again _ . I’ll be coming with you-- for now.” 

Taka shot her a smile. “Excellent news to hear!” He paused. “Um, would you perhaps know where anyone else is?” 

* * *

Byakuya was ready to leave Hope's Peak Academy and sue the whole school for housing the so-called “ultimates” of his class, hiring a drunkard idiotic teacher, and for being  _ too big _ .

After looking through the rest of the third floor and finding no one, Naegi pointed out that they never checked the pool or weight rooms on floor two. Taka loudly proclaimed that they should check every room to make sure no one was there, and even though Byakuya and others complained Taka marched the group down the stairs. 

He noticed that the window was still being fixed, and he couldn’t help but scowl.

The “talk” he had with Kizakura was still racking his brain. It was nothing more than Kizakura simply scolding him, but there's one specific thing the teacher said that kept playing in his mind.

_ “How are things at home?” _

Byakuya doesn’t know why Kizakura asked. He simply told him that it’s none of his concern. But the teacher didn’t seem pleased with the answer, and yet he never brought it up again. It put Byakuya on edge, did the scout know something? If so, what? Is he going to ask again?

The other part of his brain also admonished him. In truth, Byakuya didn’t know how to answer Kizkura’s question. He knew that his home life was far different than normal, but it wasn’t a bad thing, right? It’s what led to the Togami Corporation to success, and nothing else mattered. 

"Togami, are you even listening?!" Taka’s voice cut through his train of thought, 

Immediately annoyed, Byakuya felt his eye twitch. “No, I’m not. Your voice is grating and I'm trying not to get more of a headache. So if you could just keep your yap shut..."

"I can not. While I am sorry for hearing about your headache, you'll just have to live through it for a little longer." Taka said as he glared down the heir. 

Byakuya simply glared back.

"W-would you like me to s-summarise what the glorified hall monitor was saying, m-master?" 

Fukawa sputtered out. Byakuya's glare turned to her, and immediately she stepped back.

"I would demand anyone but you to tell me. Your voice is equally as annoying, and I told you exactly ten minutes ago to keep quiet!" Byakuya spat out. Fukawa nodded and bowed in apology. 

"Fukawa, just ignore everything that asshole says!" Oowada looked towards Byakuya, "he isn't a perfect example of what a man is supposed to act like."

Said heir simply rolled his eyes. "You're not much of a man yourself."

A hush went over the biker.

Smirking, Byakuya began, “What, you can’t-”

In a blink of an eye, Byakuya's vision went swimming, and pain erupted from the left side of his face. The hallway suddenly got louder, and he felt someone grab his throat and shove him into a wall. 

"Do you want to fucking say that again, Togami?" Oowada’s voice sounded even, but blinking away some of the blurriness all Byakuya could see was his enraged face. The grip tightened, "Come on now, you normally don't have a hard time speaking your mind."

All Byakuya could let out was a choked cry, desperately trying to let air in. He felt something wet and sticky run down the back of his head, and blackness started creeping into his vision. 

Suddenly the grip on his neck vanished, and Byakuya was left to crumple on the ground. Gasping for air he began to cough, and the ringing in his ears almost made him deaf to the world. 

"-you okay?!" Someone's voice cut through his coughing fit, and he looked towards the sound. All he could see was a blurry mess of brown hair and red clothing. "Can you stand up? We need to get you to the nurse's room ASAP!" They went to help Byakuya up but he jerked back to avoid being touched. A wave of pain washed over him and he couldn't help but wince.

Someone much taller and bulkier than the blurry figure moved in front of him, saying something he couldn't hear. They offered their hand too, but Byakuya chose to ignore it in favor of using the wall to stand. 

The dizziness that came upon him had almost knocked him back down, and the bulky figure steadied him by putting their hand on his shoulder. He immediately shoved it off.

"Togami," A rough deep voice said, "we need to get you to the nurse’s office."

_ No shit _ , he thought distantly as he nodded. The pain increased at the action, and this time he considered to fall and stay on the floor.

"Can you walk?" The bulky figure asked. The voice sounded familiar, but his vision was still blurry. He touched the back of his head, wincing once again when he noticed that indeed, he was bleeding. 

“... Yes, I think.”

The figure seemed to hesitate. “We should try to stop the bleeding before we continue,” They said and guided him to the gym.

“Sit.” The person said, and Byakuya gladly sat down on the bench. They moved to grab a first aid kit. As they moved to clean up the back of his head, Byakuya noticed that it was Ogami who was helping him.

He grimaced as she cleaned the wound. How did he not notice that it was her earlier? Ogami certainly isn’t a hard person to miss. “You weren’t with the group originally," Byakuya stated.

"The fight was just outside the door," Ogami responded, "when the yelling started Hina and I ran to see what was happening. She helped me pull Oowada off of you." 

He couldn’t help but give a huff of laughter.  _ At least we found two classmates.  _

It was silent as Ogami finished cleaning the wound, and Byakuya was perfectly content with that.

Ogami shifted, and she stood to her full height. “Unfortunately there isn’t anything in here that can properly bandage the wound,” Ogami stated as she moved in front of him, “but the bleeding has stopped, and we still need you to get to the nurse’s office anyways.” 

Byakuya couldn’t help to agree, his head still hurt and he was sure his face was slightly swollen. He stood and ignored the slight dizziness. “I wish to grab my glasses, first off.”

Ogami opened the door for him once more, and Byakuya noticed that no one else was outside. He gave a silent thanks at the fact, he didn’t know if he could handle the rest of his class at the moment. He went to look for his glasses, but the only thing that greeted him was a broken frame and a missing lense. 

“Oowada is lucky that I have a spare, or else a new pair would’ve come out of his pocket,” Byakuya stated as they moved away from the hall. “But that thug will still pay in some way. No one punches a Togami.”

“What makes you think you’ll be able to take him on?” Ogami asked as she folded her arms. “One doesn’t start a fight over nothing, either.”

He rolled his eyes. “Who says I’ll be fighting him? I can get anyone to do so for me, and if he wants to stay at Hope’s Peak he’d better be willing to pay a hefty sum.” 

“You’re not suing Oowada for punching you, Togami,” Ogami stated firmly. “While what he did was unnecessary, it’s a waste of money to sue over.” 

Byakuya simply glared at her. “You don’t get to tell me what I can or can not do.”

“Perhaps, but do you really want to test if my word is true?” Ogami asked with an expressionless face.

He clenched his jaw and glared. He refused to answer her question. 

The walk continued in silence, and while Byakuya doesn’t know what to exactly think about Sakura Ogami now he does have to commend it to the martial artist: at least she can be quiet, and the ever-present headache thanked her for the fact. 

Eventually, they got to the nurse’s office, and Ogami started to retell what she knew. Soon, a girl with long purple hair ushered him to sit on top of a cot and immediately started to check the wound on his head. Byakuya hissed at the sudden pressure applied.

"S-sorry, I s-should've warned y-you!" The nurse said. Distantly, Byakuya wondered if it was Fukawa who stood in front of him. 

"It was unneeded to do so," Byakuya commented, "but a warning would be nice for next time. What is your name?"

"U-um, Mikan Tsumiki. I'm the assistant nurse today..." She said as she wrapped his head with gauze. She looked over his face, “I’ll be asking you a few q-questions.” 

After a few minutes, it was determined that he had only a minor concussion and a forming black eye. Tsumiki advised that all he needed to do was take a few pills of pain reliever and rest for the next few days. She also told Ogami to make sure he did, indeed, actually rest.

“I don’t need a babysitter.” He stated bitterly.

Tsumiki went to apologize, but Ogami simply raised her hand to stop her. “I’m not a babysitter, Togami. She was making sure you had someone keeping you on track.”

“I don’t need someone to do that, either.”

She glared, but Byakuya simply leveled with his own glare. “You’re stubbornness is going to be your downfall one day.” 

Byakuya laughed as he stood. “I’d like to see anyone try to make me fall, Ogami.”

\-------

  
  


The moment Owada was pulled away from Togami and Ogami started helping him, Kizakura guided everyone away from the scene, which Toko  _ loudly  _ protested. How desperately did she want to follow Togmai and that monster just to make sure he would be fine, but Kizakura kept saying that Ogami could handle it! 

Toko knows he only doesn’t want her to follow, but she also knew Kizakura would never admit it.

“Oowada! What you just did was in violation of Hope’s Peak rules, and you assaulted another classmate!” Taka quickly started to yell, and Toko couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were wet with tears. 

“Togami fucking deserved it, he’s been acting like a cactus is up his dick this whole day!” Oowada yelled back.

“That doesn't excuse  _ physical assault _ ! Those are grounds to be expelled from!” Taka took a step closer, and Oowada growled.

“If I can get away from  _ you  _ yelling about your stupid fucking morals than maybe I’ll take it!” Oowada said, shoving Taka away from him. 

“ENOUGH! _ ”  _ Kizakura stepped between the two. “Taka, kid, I need you to let me handle this. You can continue your search up on the fourth floor.”

“But-!” 

“That isn’t a suggestion, it’s a demand. Oowada needs his space, and you yelling doesn’t grant him that.”

Taka looked like he was going to refute, but he instead wiped his eyes angrily. “Fine.”

Kizakura smiled. “Thanks, kid. We can meet back in the classroom when you’re done searching on the 4th floor, alright? Oowada and I will be there.” 

Taka simply nodded and walked away from their teacher and towards the others. Fujisaki ran a little to keep pace with him, but it seems like Taka ignored whatever she said.

Toko bit her lip, as much as she wanted to bolt she almost felt bad for Taka. She knew how it felt to be brushed away, and so with a resound sigh she followed along. 

The party was unnaturally quiet as they walked through the 3rd floor, and Toko couldn’t help but fidget with her braids. Her mind wandered back to Togami like it often does, and she wondered if he got the help he needed.  _ Maybe if I was the one by his side, he would finally recognize me!  _

“This whole d-day has been a d-disaster,” Toko grumbled, breaking the heavy silence as the party climbed the stairs up to the 4th floor. 

“It’s had its doom and gloom parts,” Hiro commented. He gave a thoughtful look. “Some parts weren’t bad though Fukuawa! The gambling match was fun to watch!”

Toko huffed. “One good t-thing doesn’t make all the b-bad go away.”

Kuwata rolled his eyes. “He’s trying to cheer the group up, Fukuawa, you really gonna bring it back down?” 

“It isn’t m-my fault h-he does it badly.” 

“We had enough fights for today.” Taka cut in before Toko could respond. “Listen, we only have three more classmates to find. I know we can get along until then!” 

_ I think you have too high of hopes for us,  _ Toko thought bitterly. She only glared towards the floor instead of stating her mind.

Once they got up to the fourth floor, Kirigiri spoke up. “We should split up to check all rooms, we’ve been lucky enough to find classmates either by accident or in just one area, but I doubt our luck will continue.”

“Which means seven rooms, not including the bathrooms and the headmaster's office.” Taka said, “there's currently 10 of us, so there’ll be a group of three. Any volunteers?” 

Hina raised her hand but shouted “Can I go with Fukawa?” before Taka could call on her. 

Toko blinked and furrowed her brow. “M-me? Why-”

“Thank you for volunteering Hina! Who wants to go with them?” Taka said, and when no one said anything Taka frowned. “Alright, how about… Naegi?” 

“M-me?!” Naegi said, sweating ever so slightly. Toko glared.

“C’mon Naegi, it’ll be fun!” Hina said as she slung her arm around his shoulders. The boy let out a sigh.

“Okay, so you three can check the music room! And once you’re done with you’re room, please come back her immediately!” Taka said, and the others quickly scattered. Toko turned towards Hina.

“W-what do y-you want?” 

“Oh boy…” Naegi muttered, and he started walking towards the music room.

Hina tilted her head. “Well, I just wanted to talk to you I guess!” 

“A-about what? I-I don’t c-care about what you have t-to say, you bimbo.” 

“I-I, no! I want to know you more!”

Toko scoffed. “H-ha! Why? D-do you p-plan on blackmailing me o-or something?” 

“What? No!” Hina sighed, and she crossed her arms. “Fukuawa I really just want to know more about you.” 

“As if y-you care…” Toko scowled. “Y-you’re boobs take m-more space than your b-brain, apparently.” 

Hina blushed as she glared back. “Why are you being so difficult?!” 

“Why s-should I t-tell you anything a-about me?!” 

“Okay and that’s where this conversation ends!” Naegi stated. “There’s someone playing music, and that makes me hopeful that it might be Maziono.” 

Hina still looked slightly peeved, but she let out a sigh. “Hopefully you’re right Naegi.” 

The lucky student opened the door, and as his talent suggests there stood Maziono on the stage. 

“Thank G-God…” Toko said. 

“Hey! Maizono!” Hina waved towards the stage. The idol gave her a smile and a wave back, and she moved to turn off the music.

“What are you three doing here?” Maizono asked when she walked towards the trio.

Naegi quickly informed her, and Maizono nodded. “Sounds like you guess had a long day, then.”

“Y-you have no i-idea…” Toko said. “So do y-you want to c-come to class?”

Maizono gave a hum, and then she nodded. “Sure! I was almost finished with practice anyways.” 

Toko blinked. “Really? Y-you, don’t have any o-objections?” 

“I don’t know why I would have any, really,” Maizono said. 

Naegi gave out a small laugh. “Sorry, it’s just that this was the easiest it's been all day. Normally something bad happens right about now.”

“That’s h-how you jinx it, Naegi!” Toko yelled, and Naegi rubbed the back of his head. 

“We should tell the others then!” Hina stated, and she ran out the door before she got anyone'ss confirmation.

“Good riddance…” Toko muttered. “We s-should just leave. There's no r-reason to go back.”

“Come on Fukawa! It sounds like you guys are close to your goal.”Maizono stated with a smile. Toko scoffed.

“F-fine. Whatever. I just want t-this day to be over.”

\------

Just like Koichi promised, he walked Oowada to the same classroom the original search party started. Neither teacher nor student said a word to each other, and the moment the classroom door opened Oowada walked towards the far corner of the room. 

Koichi moved to the front podium again. He let out a sigh as he took a drink from his canteen and listened to the clock tick. Oowada sat in the far corner of the room, fidgeting ever so slightly as he stared at the window. 

“What are you worried about over there, eh?” Koichi asked after a beat of silence. 

Oowada jumped slightly when Koichi talked, but it quickly shifted into indifference again. “I’m not worried.”

“Could’ve fooled me. Are you worried that you’ll be expelled?” 

Oowada snorted. “No. I have my gang out there, I don’t need to be in here in the first place.”

“Then why did you accept the offer here?”

Silence. 

“Taka was correct, y’know. Physical assault can get you expelled.”

“I know.”

A pause. Koichi sighed as he stood away from the podium and walked his way towards Oowada. “So why did you attack Togami?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Oowada said, refusing to meet Koichi’s gaze. “He’s a dick at best, and an unapologetic asshole at worse. It was only a matter of time before he got in a fight!” 

“Is that the real reason?”   
  


“Yes! Do I need more of a reason?”

Koichi tilted his head. Oowada still wasn’t looking at him. “I’m not going to expel you, you know.” 

Oowada finally looked at him. “What?”

“I’m not going to expel you. Maybe give you janitorial duty for a while, I can’t let the accident go completely without retribution after all.” Koichi said. He sat in the chair by Oowada, and he smiled at the slack jaw biker. “I can tell you’re a good kid, Oowada. If you don’t want to tell me the real reason you decked Togami so be it, but I hope you can tell someone before it turns out too late.” 

Oowada stayed quiet for a while. “I… Thank you, teach, I guess. It helps to know I won’t get expelled.” 

Koichi’s smile widened. “Of course. Now here comes the boring part: waiting for others to come.”

It wasn’t too long after their conversation finished that Taka came marching in. “Kizakura-sensei! We found Maizono-san!” He shouted. Koichi took note that he didn’t look at Oowada at all.

The rest of the group wasn’t too far behind, either. The tired group of teens shuffled in, and Koichi noticed that Ogami was with them this time. “Where’s Togami?” Koichi asked as the group settled down.

“He’s in his dorm room. It was requested by nurse Tsumiki that he rests.” Ogami stated. 

“Damn, wish that was me.” Kuwata kicked his feet onto his desk. “It was fun and all walking around the whole campus, but I don’t want to do it again to find the last two.”

A murmur of agreement spread around the classroom. “Alright, well I don’t want to be dealing with tired teens on top of finding two more people,” Koichi stated, “so do I have any volunteers for helping me?”

Unsurprisingly, Taka raised his hand. What did surprise Koichi was that Kyoko raised her hand as well. The rest of the students stayed sitting. “... Okay, well. You’re welcome to do whatever in here as long as it’s legal and doesn’t break anything. Hopefully, we won’t be gone for long.” Koichi said. 

\---- 

The sun was low in the sky when Koichi, Taka, and Kyoko walked outside. After checking the 5th floor and briefly the other floors as well, neither Enoshima nor Ikusaba was found. Taka was starting to lose his gusto, Koichi noticed, but the headstrong boy was determined to find the remainder of his classmates. 

Kyoko, though, Koichi can’t quite tell why she decided to come with them. He can’t quite tell why she’s here at Hope’s Peak either. He doubts he’ll get an answer to either question anytime soon. 

“Where do you think they could be, sensei? You know this school better than both of us.” Taka asked after a while of aimless walking.

Koichi shrugged. “Honestly they can be anywhere, and we don’t have a way to contact them. Perhaps we should’ve had Naegi come with us.” He gave a small chuckle. “We could certainly have a little luck on our side.” 

Taka frowned at the answer, but giving a sigh he straightened his back. “We’ll find them eventually! We can’t give up this close to victory!” 

“There is a real possibility that they left campus, however,” Kyoko said.

“We prefer not to have students leaving without permission,” Koichi responded, “but, you’re correct. They might be well gone.” 

Neither student responded to him. Koichi wonders how Yukizome found her students so easily--maybe he should've asked her for help. But the teacher was busy with her own class, and while this class was certainly loud at least they weren’t as destructive as the infamous Class 77. He gave a huff of laughter as he remembered how much damage they caused on the day Yukizome looked for them, God forbid the numerous other days they spent together. 

“Hey, Kizakura, do you hear that?” Taka cut off his train of thought, and Koichi furrowed his brow as he listened.

“I can’t hear anything of notice, no.”

  
“Taka is right,” Kyoko said, “it sounds like someone talking.” 

Again Koichi listened. It was faint, but after a while, he heard a yell. Taka’s eyes widened. 

“What if they're in trouble?!” He yelled, and Koichi bit his lip.

“Maybe, but we can’t-”

“It’s coming from over there.” Kyoko pointed towards a far away statue. Taka nodded.

“We have to go help!” Taka said, and before Koichi could say anything the boy started running.

“This is how you get yourself in trouble, kid!” His yell fell on deaf ears. He gave a  _ tsk _ and turned towards Kyoko. “You, stay here.” Ignoring her glare, he started running towards the statue himself.

He didn’t catch up to Taka before they got to the statue, but Koichi almost ran into him as the moral compass came to a sudden halt. “ _ Damn it,  _ Taka!” He gave a wheeze as he put his hand on his chest, “this is how you get hurt!” 

“I’m sorry Kizakura-sensei!” Taka looked towards him. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m peachy, kid,” He gave a few gasps of air, and leaned over, putting his hands on his knees. “Give me a moment, I’m not as fit as I used to be.”

“Um, can we help you?” A feminine voice said. Looking up, Kizakura saw two girls standing a few paces away. 

“Enoshima and Ikusaba.” Koichi jumped when he heard Kyoko talk behind him. He turned to glare at her.

“I see you ignored my directions.” He mumbled.

“Was… it you two who were screaming?” Taka asked, confusion plain on his face. 

Enoshima cocked her head. “Screaming?” She put her finger on her chin. “I don’t remember screaming. What about you, MuMu?”

Ikusaba shook her head no, and the fashionista nodded.

“You must be hearing things then, Mr. Ishi!” Enoshima exclaimed while smiling at him. Taka furrowed his brow at the nickname. 

“Is there a reason you’re standing around an old statue?” Koichi asked, raising his eyebrow. 

She simply laughed. “What, is it a crime to stand? You’re Koichi Kizakura right?” 

“Yes? But that doesn’t-”

“And your Kirigiri!” Enoshima  _ skipped _ her way towards Kyoko, who stood unmoving as Enoshima patted her on the head. “I still can’t believe the headmaster's daughter is my classmate!” 

Koichi saw her tense at the mention of Jin. He went to talk, but Ikusaba cut him off. “You still haven’t told us what you need.”

“Ah, I apologize!” Taka said, “we’re gathering classmates! Kizakura-sensei said he would teach us if everyone was in class!” 

“Ohhh Kiza is our teacher huh?” Enoshima turned towards him, “I thought you were a scout, you’re the one who scouted me after all.” 

“I’m your  _ substitute _ teacher for now.” He stated. “Now that we answered your question, so answer mine: why were you standing by a statue of all places?” 

Enoshima shrugged. “As I said, is it a crime to stand? Maybe we just wanted to read more about Izuru Kamakura! Did you know he was the founder of Hope’s Peak Academy?” 

Koichi nodded, but something in his mind was still nagging at him.  _ She's lying, but why? _

“Are we going to class then? It's a little late,” Ikusaba asked. 

Taka nodded. “It is quite late, but the rest of our classmates are waiting for us. We can still go back, and request everyone to come back tomorrow!” 

Enoshima hummed. “And what makes you think we all will come back?” 

“Well, uh-” 

“Because it’ll be a command from their teacher,” Koichi stated. “I didn’t run all around campus for nothing.” 

“Ooo, a command huh?” Enoshima smirked at him. “Well, you have me convinced! Shall we start walking then?”

She didn't wait for anyone to confirm as she started walking away. Koichi narrowed his eyes.

_ There's something off about you, Enoshima.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeahh I don't expect chapters to be this long again lol. Most other chapters should be just a single perspective or only a few character's perspectives, but it just felt right to change POV in this chapter for each scene.
> 
> This took me a while to write, and I'm hoping other chapters should be hopefully a little faster to write. I had a big creative block around halfway, and the rest of it kinda felt like a drag. But it's finished now, and I like the end product! If you have any comments please leave them, I love to read them!


	4. A Soldier's Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talkative walk, a surprising fight, and a meeting with "friends" 
> 
> Trigger warning for a panic attack and verbal abuse.

Sunset draped Hope's Peak Academy in a golden light as the small group walked back to class. Mukuro ambled behind the group as Junko and Taka talked about various subjects, only half-listening to their conversation. The unexpected occurrence of Kizakura, Kirigiri, and Ishimaru put Mukuro on edge; to think that everything almost went to waste in a mere second thanks to her carelessness certainly didn’t leave a pleasant taste in her mouth.

"Izuru Kamakura supposedly had many talents," Junko stated, and the mention of his name immediately pulled Mukuro out of her thoughts. "He was a hope to the world in his time, and wanted to cultivate that hope in other talented individuals! He must’ve been a fascinating individual to meet."

"Indeed! One can only aspire to meet an individual such as Kamakura in their lifetime!" Taka exclaimed, "I'm impressed by how much research you've done Enoshima!"

"Sounds like something you'd read on a plaque," Kizakura noted.

Taka huffed. “Maybe so, but unlike most other students Enoshima possesses a drive for knowledge! I must commend her for such a trait!”

Junko giggled, "Well thank you! I’m glad someone here can recognize my greatness!”

Mukuro narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as the topic changed to trivial spiel once more. Kirigiri remained quiet herself, and that fact made Mukuro's heart sink ever so slightly. The detective stayed quiet as they entered the main hall of Hope’s Peak only a few minutes later as well.

“The rest of the class best be in the room still,” Kizakura remarked in a lull of conversation. “It’d be a waste of a day if they’re gone.”

“If that’s the case, we will simply have to try again tomorrow,” Taka said, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm. “However I have hope in our class, and I firmly believe that they decided to stay!”

“To have hope in you're classmates such as you do Taka,” Junko gave him a smile, “That hope… It’s _inspiring._ ”

“A-an outlook I must have as the Ultimate Moral Compass!” Taka said, his face flushed red. 

“But of course!” Junko laughed as she patted him on the back. “I expect nothing less.”

Whatever Taka had in response was cut off by faint shouting. It made the group pause, and it only took a few seconds to recognize that the shouting was coming from the room that held the rest of Class 78. Clearly alarmed, Taka sprinted towards the door and threw it open, ready to help whoever was in trouble. But his sudden silence peaked Mukuro's attention.

As she entered the room, what greeted her was an unusual sight. The desks and chairs were moved to the walls of the class, except for two desks that sat in the middle of the classroom. However, what was most curious about the desks was the two students locked in an intense arm wrestle of all things.

Oowada lacked his usual Crazy Diamond jacket, clearly showing his strained muscles as he tried to pin Ogamis arm to the desk. The martial artist herself seemed to be struggling, but immediately Mukuro could tell that her strength was far greater than Oowada's.

“YOU CAN DO IT SAKURA!” Hina shouted, the noisest of them all. “KICK HIS ASS!”

“I-I believe in you, Oowada-Kun!” Fujisaki exclaimed as loud as she could, which in comparison to everyone else sounded like a mouse.

Taka blinked in confusion, and Mukuro could’ve sworn there was a hint of a blush on his face. “What’s going on here?”

“An arm wrestle of a lifetime dude!” Kuwata stated, keeping his eyes on the unfolding match. “We had a mini-tournament, and you came just in time to watch the finale!”

And watch they did, for the moment Kuwata finished his sentence a resounding _smash_ echoed the room as Ogami pinned Oowada’s hand to the desk. Hina exclaimed the winner over the eruption of cheers and immediately flung herself over Ogami and enveloped her into a hug.

Mukuro rose an eyebrow as Ludenberg grabbed a wad of cash from Naegi, who looked solemn as she pocketed the money. Kizakura gave a small laugh as he moved towards the podium, allowing the class to finish their mini celebration.

“Good job, Ogami,” Oowada said, a neutral expression on his face. “You’re the first girl to beat me in an arm wrestle.”

“An honor, I’m sure,” Hina stated for her. Oowada gave only a huff in response.

“I wanna rematch eventually, ya hear?”

“You were great Oowada! T-that was so cool to watch!” Fujisaki said, cutting off whatever Ogami had in response. "I can only wish to be half as strong as you...!"

“Yes, congratulations to both of you!” Taka said with a smile. “And being able to hold you’re ground to the Ultimate Martial Artist is no small feat, Oowada!” A small blush reached the biker’s cheeks as he broke contact with Taka, and Mukuro tilted her head.

“Yeah yeah whatever, maybe one day me and you can have a match, hall monitor.”

“I’m not quite sure the rules of the game, but I look forward to it one day! And please, call me Taka!”

Kizakura caught everyone’s attention as he laughed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for another match. It’s getting quite late, and I’m sure you all have something to accomplish before the day fully ends.”

He looked specifically towards Junko and her when he said that sentence. Mukuro only glared back.

He smiled and looked over the rest of the class. “But before we leave, I request that you show for class these next few semesters.” A few murmurs of disagreement spread around the class, and Kizakura sighed. “Of course, I don’t expect perfect attendance for the whole year. However today has been too much work for only a few minutes in the same classroom, and at this time I put too much effort into looking for you all to give up, and I expect each and everyone to graduate. I see success in all of you, and wish to cultivate that talent!”

The room stayed quiet after he finished, and Kizakura gave a huff of laughter. “That sounded cheesy, even to me. But I mean it! Show up tomorrow unless you’re sick! I should have a lesson plan by that time…” he paused, “maybe. You’re all excused now, if one of you can give my message to Togami that’d be much appreciated.”

Their homeroom teacher quickly sauntered off after his abrupt goodbye; many students weren’t far behind him. Mukuro jumped as an arm fell on her shoulders and immediately shoved it off. Junko of course didn't care to mention it. “Well that was exciting, wasn’t it MuMu? Aren’t you happy to be spending you’re time with the rest of the class?”

Mukuro held her tongue, only responding with, “absolutely thrilled.”

“Hey, don’t sound so down! We’re going to go meet a friend of ours! We left him hanging, after all. He said something about animating, right?”

“Friend is quite the term to use,” Mukuro remarked. She looked over towards Kirigiri, who was currently in a conversation with Naegi and Taka. “Do we have the time to meet with him?”

Junko followed her gaze and scoffed. “Don’t worry about Kirigiri. She seems quite fine talking with those two boring kids. And I’m sure Mitarai is feeling quite lonely by now, thanks to you!” Mukuro glared, which Junko only smiled in response.

“Don’t talk so loudly.” She hissed.

“Well then get your fat ass moving!” Junko complained, tugging Mukuro out of the room. Feeling someone's stare, she glanced back and locked eyes with Kirigiri, until the detective was distracted by Taka. Ignoring the bad feeling growing in the soldier’s chest, she let Junko guide her away from the classroom.

Mukuro kept quiet as they walked back towards the main hall. It was only when they left the building and walked quite a bit down the path towards the statute that she dares to speak. “Kyoko Kirigiri is going to be trouble, and I have a feeling Kizakura as well.”

Junko waved her hand. “Don’t be a worrywart! Besides, I welcome the challenge Kirigiri will give. The despair of losing to her...” Junko smiled, “… Well, it’s a risk worth taking.”

"And Kizakura?"

"I'm not worried about him at all." Junko stated, "He says he cares, but I can tell he's lying out of his ass."

"He's a Talent Scout, however. It's his job to judge a person's character."

"Don't care! He pretends to be hot shit, MuMu. He's not going to be trouble."

Mukuro only sighed in response.

Coming upon the statute of Izruru Kamakura, Junko walked to a specific part of the statue. Pressing in a brick and stepping on a pressure plate, a part of the concrete the statue stood on opened up to the world. A sickly-looking boy immediately let out a scream, almost falling down the long stairs until Mukuro grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, covering his mouth to stop him from screaming more.

Junko let out a laugh, and let the secret door closed. "My _god_ Mitarai! I didn't know a boy you're age can hit a scream that high pitched!" Ignoring the Mitarai's obvious distress, she walked up to him and patted his head. “It’s nice to see you too, by the way! Oh, and Mukuro, let the poor boy breathe.”

Hesitantly letting go, Mitarai let out a shaky breath. “W-what are you doing back here?”

“I’m not completely heartless! Sure, Mukuro threatened you're life and trapped you here, but _I’m_ not Mukuro.” Junko said, ignoring her sister’s huff.

“So you’re l-letting me go?!” Mitarai said, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

She gave a Cheshire cat-like grin. “Nope! Unfortunately, you showed up at the wrong place at the wrong time. And we can’t just let you go after that…”

Mitarai's hopeful look was quickly replaced with despair. She took a step closer, practically hovering only a few centimeters away from his face. Booping his forehead, she grinned. “Fortunately for you, I just have this gut feeling that we were supposed to meet, and that little fact is one of the reasons you're still standing. Isn't that nice of me?"

Ignoring the tears streaming down his face, Junko took a few steps back, her demeanor shifting quickly. "You said something about being Ultimate Animator, right? What a lame talent.”

“I-I… Anime is an art form! A-and it can change people’s life!” Mitarai shouted. "And I-I'm going to change someone's life with my anime!"

“Blah blah blah… I’m going more bored the more you talk.” Junko huffed. “What makes you so special, you idiot? That's all I wanna know.” 

Instantly, the animator became antsier. “I-I can show you! You just have to let me show you! In my dorm! Please I don’t want to die-”

Junko let out a disgusted scoff, and Mitarai immediately stopped talking. “I don’t want to hear that ‘don’t kill me!’ shit, mkay? Just show us, if you’re so desperate.” Mitarai nodded frantically, and immediately he started showing them the way.

Mukuro kept an eye on him, making sure he wouldn't bolt. Whatever Junko saw in this, Mukuro couldn't quite tell. But killing an ultimate would be to noticeable at this stage... So, without seeing what else to do, Mukuro followed her sister without question. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be a really short chapter, but it got longer than expected lol. The shortened version was way too boring, and plus Ryota is here! Even though he doesn't want to be! I hope you enjoyed <3

**Author's Note:**

> A long time series coming that I'm really looking forward to! I hope you all enjoy!


End file.
